Packard is the co-founder of Scripps Networks Interactive and former COO of HGTV, one of the fastest-growing cable networks in TV history.

Having a clear head allows you to show up for work in your most productive mental state, she says. “Peace of mind is a competitive advantage, given that today speed, focus and problem-solving are critical work skill sets.”

Former AOL senior executive Jean Case, author of “Be Fearless: 5 Principles for a Life of Breakthroughs and Purpose,” says to live an extraordinary life of breakthroughs you must “be bold, take risks, make failure matter, and let urgency conquer fear.”

Tips on targeting unproductive thoughts and replacing them with winning ones:

Read and react. Take a quick inventory each day of your emotional fitness, Packard says. If you’re in a good place with your peace of mind, then you can move on. If not, nurture emotional intelligence.

Packard has found in her own life and in the lives of leaders she works with, “meditation and mindfulness help to lessen stress and clear a cluttered mind.”

She adds that a critical component of emotional intelligence “is having self-awareness. Stillness, quiet and other reflective practices help with that.”

Packard cites the famous anonymous quote to use as a filter:

“Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes destiny.”

Stay aggressive. Let urgency conquer fear as you invest in people and build bold ideas that will change the world, Case says.

“Don’t overthink or over-analyze,” she said. “Do. It’s natural to want to study a problem from all angles, but getting caught up in questions like, ‘What if we’re wrong?’and ‘What if there is a better way?’ ” can leave you paralyzed with fear. Allow the compelling need to act to outweigh all doubts and setbacks.”

Packard adds that a way to take the emotion out of setbacks is to “say what happened. Accept that it happened. Find new openings.”

Make a big bet. Many people and organizations are naturally cautious, Case says.

The downside to that is they look at what seemed to work in the past and try to do more of it, “leading to only incremental advances,” she said. “(But) every truly historymaking transformation has occurred when people have decided to go for revolutionary change.”

One example she points to: In 2008, in the middle of the financial crisis, Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia boldly began to solicit investors — most of whom thought the idea of staying in the home of a stranger was crazy — and founded Airbnb. Today, some 500,000 people stay in one of Airbnb’s more than 3 million listings every day. In 2017 the company had $2.6 billion in revenue.

Seize opportunities. Risk-taking is not a blind leap off a cliff but a lengthy process of trial and error, Case says. “Have the guts to try new, unproven things and the rigor to continue experimenting.”

It doesn’t end with the launch of a product or the start of a movement. “You need to be willing to risk the next big idea, even if it means upsetting your own status quo,” she said.

Practice we, not me. Great leaders provide hope, a generous spirit and moral courage, Packard says. Whether as a leader or an employee, “perpetuate a collaborative workplace culture.”

There are data on the financial benefits of doing this. She says for those who lead with principles that characterize “we” leaders, like integrity and compassion, companies’ return on assets was significantly better than those who did not, as measured over a two-year time period.

“We, not me” leadership requires developing the mindset of putting “self-centered agendas to the side for the greater good of the organization,” Packard said.